


Eyes are the Window to the Soul

by orphan_account



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Autism, Eye Color, F/M, Kissing, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:09:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9375944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In this alternate universe, Shadowhunters do not exist, but soulmates do.“You know what else is beautiful?” Kit stepped forward, and Ty sucked in a breath. He had always had issues with people getting too close to him, but he was finding that it was easier with Kit. “Your face,”





	

Ty sighed tiredly as he shoved his grey backpack into his locker, pulling out the items that he needed for his science class. He brushed his black curls out of his face before closing his locker and turning to walk to his class. He sat down in his familiar chair, looking around at the empty classroom and opening his Sherlock Holmes book. He read as people started to filter into the room.

Ty’s concentration wavered as he heard a certain clear voice laughing as the owner entered the room. He blinked a few times, going back to his book that he had perched on his lap. It was no use, for Ty’s brain had already zeroed in on the person moving towards his desk, passing him in a sweep of jeans and a lovely smell. Unfortunately, Ty was so focused on ignoring him that he didn’t notice the soft look that was directed his way. Ty’s eyebrows furrowed and he closed his book in frustration. Even as he sat up, looking around the classroom, all he could focus on was the presence of the person a few feet away. Kit Rook was his name, a boy who had transferred to Ty’s school, Angel High, only a week ago. The rumor was that he had been expelled from his previous school. Ty just couldn’t see that. 

Ty shifted in his chair so that he could see Kit in his peripheral vision. He was talking to his friend, Cameron Ashdown, a tall redhead who Emma had been dating. Kit was sprawled out on his chair, legs extending out into the aisle and arm draped over his chair. Ty, meanwhile, couldn’t seem to relax, his shoulders bunched up with tension and his knee bouncing.

“Hey, Ty,” Livvy said as she slid into the chair next to him. The teacher had the classroom arranged so that there were two people at a table, and him and his twin sister had managed to convince their teacher to put them together. Livvy was always a calming factor for Ty, and he took a deep breath, relaxing a bit. “I heard we were getting new seats today.”

“Oh, great,” Ty replied, his voice a bit rough. Mondays were always hard for Ty.

“I hope I end up with Kit Rook,” Livvy said dreamily, looking over her shoulder at the boy diagonal from them. “Or maybe Cameron,” She said thoughtfully.

“Emma might be a little upset about that one,” Ty mused. Livvy laughed, her brown hair waving as she shook her head.

“Emma doesn’t give a crap about Cameron,” She murmured quietly, as he was sitting a few feet away. “Honestly, she’s dumped him about a trillion times. Over  _ text _ ,” Livvy said, shivering, as if it were the worst thing imaginable. "Besides, we both know that she is not ending up with anyone but Julian," Ty just shook his head, thumbing the pages of his book. His thoughts were already wandering back to Kit. He prayed that him and Livvy wouldn’t end up together, and instantly regretted it. He should be happy for his sister. 

The bell rang, shaking Ty out of his thoughts. Ty watched in amusement as his teacher tumbled through the door to the left of the classroom, a bit of coffee splashing over the side of his cup.  His hair and his Star Wars t-shirt were rumpled as usual. 

“Hey, class!” He greeted them with a wave and a cheerful smile as he placed his coffee on his desk and tossed his bag on the desk chair, which was hardly used. 

“Hi, Mr. Zemke!” They answered in unison, a routine which had been happening since the first day of school. Despite his quirks, Mr. Zemke was a well-liked teacher. He was Ty’s favorite, partly because of their shared love for forensic science and also because he was a very relaxed teacher, one of Ty’s only teachers who didn’t make him feel suffocated. He demonstrated this by sitting on the edge of his desk and clasping his hands together. 

“So, how was everyone’s weekend?” He asked conversationally. The room burst into laughter and loud voices, everyone itching to share their stories. Ty reminisced on his Sherlock marathon. He supposed that wasn’t half as exciting as most people’s weekends. Ty stared off into space as he tuned out the voices of his classmates. 

“All right, sounds like you all did some very exciting things,” Mr. Zemke stated. “Time to get down to business. New seating charts,” The class burst into excited whispers, some happy and others apprehensive. Livvy bristled next to him with excitement. “I have hand-picked these for you, so I hope you love them,” Mr. Zemke went to go rummage in his bag for the chart. Ty sighed, his gray eyes closing in a silent prayer that he didn’t end up with someone completely awful. He snuck a glance at Kit, and saw that he looked about as nervous as Ty. This was surprising, as Ty had always seen Kit as a more laid-back person. 

“Here we go,” Mr. Zemke said dramatically. He began listing off names, tapping on the corresponding desk as he did so. He had just gotten to the middle column, second row, when he said, “Livia Blackthorn and Cameron Ashdown,” Ty gave her a small smile, as she stood up quickly to take her place. 

Ty had to move for the students sitting at his old table, and went to stand by the wall. His skin tingled as he became hyper-aware of Kit’s presence not too far away from him. Mr. Zemke tapped on the third row table, his voice ringing out loud and clear. 

“Christopher Rook and Tiberius Blackthorn,” Ty inhaled sharply, his heart skipping a beat. A second passed where he didn’t move, and realizing that Mr. Zemke had moved on, he hurried to take his spot. He slid silently into his chair next to Kit, placing his books on the corner of the table. He felt Kit’s eyes lingering on him, but he couldn’t meet them. Instead, he searched the classroom for a distraction and his eyes landed on Livvy, who was giving him a pouty face. He raised a delicate eyebrow at her, mouth quirking up at her envious look. 

Kit cleared his throat, placing his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand. He was obviously trying to be more discrete than flat-out staring, but Ty still felt Kit’s eyes on him like a bunch of needles pricking him all over. Mr. Zemke had moved to the front of the room, and was writing on the board. Ty flipped open his black science notebook, skimming through pages of notes in his elegant handwriting. Livvy had always made fun of him for his “girly” handwriting, but Ty knew that she was just jealous. He also took out his favorite pencil, a green mechanical one. Kit did the same, but more hastily, as Mr. Zemke had already begun talking. 

“Soulmates,” Mr. Zemke began, gesturing to the word that was scribbled on the board. “That is the topic of our next lesson. The science of soulmates is quite strange, a long debated topic of whether they are scientific or purely magical. I’m sure that you can all guess that my opinion lies on the more scientific side, although some people believe that they don’t exist at all, simply a figment of lovelorn people’s imagination,” Ty twirled his pencil around his fingers dexterously, not liking the whole “love” path that this lesson was going down. He had already had enough experience around soulmates, as his brother Julian and his girlfriend Emma were soulmates. Ty remembered being super confused as to why Julian couldn’t see the color of the dirt when they were younger. Then he had met Emma, and he suddenly could see the color brown. “That theory is supported by the fact that only .08% of people actually find their soulmate. Most of you are probably aware of this already, but soulmates are found when the two people first touch. The color of the person’s eyes are a color that you have never seen before. Instead, that color is replaced by white in all of the objects that are that color. From interviews of people that have found their soulmate, it is said that the color slowly integrated it’s way into their vision the longer that they spend with their soulmate.”

Mr. Zemke continued on with his lesson, and the farther he went the more Ty was disliking it. What a dumb thing to worry your life over. With a few minutes left of class, Mr. Zemke passed out a worksheet for them to complete on their opinions of the topic. Ty already knew what he was going to write. 

“Here you go,” Kit said, offering the slip of paper to Ty. As Ty reached for it, their fingers brushed. Ty let out a small gasp as a color bloomed in front of his eyes. 

The bell rang distantly, and Ty numbly gathered his things and rushed out of the classroom, ignoring the call of his name from behind him. He dumped his things into his locker, turning and almost running into Livvy. She grabbed his arm, staring at him fiercely.

“What is it? What happened?” She demanded. Ty felt numb, his brain clouded and his fingers fidgeting. 

“Just tell them I got sick,” He said, meeting her worried eyes.

“Ty!” She protested, as he grabbed his backpack and brushed past her, heading for the doors. 

As soon as he was outside, he started heading for the pond, his favorite place on campus. When Mr. Zemke had been teaching his ecosystems unit they had spent almost every day out here. The sun was brighter now, getting later into the morning. It sparkled off of the pond, catching the small ripples of dark blue water and turning them yellow. Ty willed his legs to move him faster, just wanting to collapse in the grass by the side of it. He wanted to dip his toes in the cool water and watch the wildlife. He finally got there, sitting down and pulling his knees up to his chest. He felt a tear slowly make it’s way down his cheek, and he hugged his knees tighter. How could Kit possibly be his soulmate? He was gay? Was Ty even Kit’s soulmate? Questions flew through Ty’s mind so fast that he hardly noticed how the sky was a bright blue, just like the color of Kit’s eyes.

  
  
  
  


The next day, Kit didn’t show up to school. Out of all the things that Ty had expected Kit to do, this wasn’t one of them. Now, he looked at Kit’s empty chair forlornly, wishing that he had the chance to talk to him. After a sleepless night, Ty had decided that the best thing to do would be to talk about it with him. And now, Ty just had this emptiness in his heart. He hadn’t told anyone what had happened, not even Livvy. She would probably just be jealous of him, as a soulmate was one of her most desired things. She just didn’t realize though how utterly terrifying it was to have one person who was tied to you, someone who you didn’t even  _ know _ . Ty thought that he was going to be sick as he listened to another lesson about how happy soulmates were together and how the most connected ones could read each other’s feelings or could sense the other’s distance from themselves. As they sat down for lunch with Emma, Julian, and Cristina, Livvy gasped at something on her phone. 

“What is it?” Ty leaned over, reading the text she had gotten. It was from… Kit?

“He asked me to go to a movie tonight!” She exclaimed happily. Ty felt his stomach roll, and his vision blurred. He stood up abruptly, not feeling very hungry.

“I’ll see you guys later,” He said, going to go dump his tray. He heard footsteps following after him, and turning around he saw that it was Julian. 

“Hey, are you alright?” Julian asked, concern lacing his words. 

“Yeah, I just realized that I forgot to do my English homework,” Ty lied, looking up into his brother’s eyes. Ty jolted as he realized that a new shade of blue had begun to mingle with the already existing greens and dark blues.  _ Kit’s blue,  _ he realized glumly.

“Okay,” Julian frowned, and Ty knew that he knew that Ty was fibbing. “I’ll see you later,” He said sternly, ruffling Ty’s black curls. 

Ty just nodded, before turning and fleeing the cafeteria. He walked down the hallway until he found an empty classroom, shutting himself inside. In the darkness, Ty let himself fall to pieces. It was as if life just kept punching him in the gut, letting him recover in between punches before knocking the air out of him again. How could Kit do this to him? It was bad enough that he was going on a date, but with his twin sister? Ty sniffled softly, feeling sorry for himself. The bell rang suddenly, and Ty slowly got to his feet, putting himself back together. There was no way he was going to be able to pay attention in English. 

  
  
  
  


When Ty had finally gotten home, he flung his backpack to the floor and collapsed on his bed. The day's events had completely drained him. When he woke up 4 hours later, the bags under his eyes were a bit less noticeable. He still looked worn down though, even he could tell. Ty changed into some gray joggers and a black long sleeve shirt. He put on his headphones, which signaled to the rest of the family that he didn’t want to talk. He swung his door open and padded barefoot down the hallway, headed to the kitchen to get some food. 

As he approached the two staircases that descended into the entryway, he thought that he heard faint voices. Putting his headphones around his neck curiously, he went to the railing. He heart dropped as he saw a familiar head of blonde hair. He wanted to turn tail and run, for he would rather starve in his room than have this person see him, but it was too late. Kit looked upwards, meeting Ty’s eyes. Ty would never forget the first time that he looked in Kit’s eyes, even if it was from afar. The color of Kit’s eyes jumped out at him like bright jewels. Ty cursed his bad luck as he descended the staircase. Livvy was chatting happily with Kit, latching onto his arm. As Ty got closer, he could make out more details of Kit’s stupidly handsome face, see the lines of his shoulders under his shirt and the shark-tooth necklace that he always wore resting on tanned skin. Ty couldn’t bite back his words, no matter how hard he tried. 

“Have fun, Livvy,” He said, his tone sharper than a knife. Kit’s mouth opened and closed, like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t. Livvy didn’t even seem to notice, a bright smile on her face as she thanked Ty. Not for the first time in his life, Kit cursed his sister’s obliviousness. 

  
  
  
  


Ty got his books from his locker for science class, feeling abnormally happy. As he turned around, he was met by Kit. Kit smiled at him, and Ty returned it, feeling butterflies explode in his stomach. As he looked up at Kit’s eyes, they dazzled him. The were a bright blue, clear and refreshing. Ty let out a short gasp as Kit leaned down to kiss him. Sparks exploded behind Ty’s eyes as he tilted his head back to try and help the height situation. He stumbled backwards as Kit got closer, feeling his back hit the locker. Ty smiled into the kiss, his free hand going to Kit’s hair and tangling his fingers in his soft locks. They eventually broke apart, and as they looked at each other breathlessly, Ty was again stunned by the beauty of Kit’s eyes. He frowned as Kit got a strange expression on his face, eyes turning dark.

“I’m in love with Livvy,” Kit said slowly, as if to maximize the pain from each word. Ty cried out in disbelief, trying to push Kit away from him, suddenly feeling suffocated by his presence. It was if his heaven had suddenly become his hell. But Kit was too strong, and the words were filling Ty’s mind, echoing in his ears, they were everywhere- 

Ty sat up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He remembered every detail of his dream, and that in itself was disturbing. He untangled his legs from his sheets, going to the bathroom to take a shower. Ty looked at himself in the mirror, eyes picking himself apart. He never really paid much attention to his appearance, but Livvy had told him multiple times that the girls at their school thought that he was cute. Ty never really believed that, though. He was too skinny, hair too messy and his skin too pale to be handsome, unlike Kit. Kit was tan, with a strong jaw and perfect hair that he knew Livvy had been dying over since the first day he had been at their school. 

He stepped in the shower thinking about Kit, letting himself imagine if Kit was here with him. How Kit would push him up against the tiled wall, how he would have to lean down to kiss Ty because of the height difference. Ty’s thoughts got more and more indecent as he closed his eyes and felt the warm water stream over his body. He tried to banish the thoughts from his mind as he scrubbed his hair and body, willing himself to think of anything  _ but _ how hot Kit was.

Ty got dressed in some gray sweats and a blue t-shirt. He was still shocked with himself for the way he had thought of Kit. He had to force the thoughts from his mind, god forbid he got aroused. Ty was just about to leave the bathroom when he heard a door slam, recognizing the door as Livvy’s from experience. He went out into the hallway and behind Livvy’s door he heard a quiet whimpering. He knocked lightly, and it stopped. 

“Livs? It’s me,” Ty rested his forehead on the wooden door, hoping she would let him in. Kit had been driving a stake in between them recently, and that wasn’t okay. He heard the lock click, and the door opened slowly. Livvy looked tired and sad, her pink sweater rumpled and her bangs astray. She took one look at Ty and opened the door all the way to rush forward and catch him in a hug. Ty closed his eyes and buried his face in his twin’s shoulder, letting himself be comforted. It had taken a long time for Ty to be able to accept hugs. She released him eventually, sniffling a little bit. 

“You should come in,” She said, and Ty did, sitting on the edge of her bed. She sat next to him, pulling her legs up and resting her chin on her knees. “Tonight was a bust,” She mumbled. 

“I’m sorry,” Ty replied. A part of him wasn’t as sorry as it should have been. “What happened?”

“Nothing, really,” She admitted. Livvy looked really perplexed, and Ty put a hand on her back. She gave him a small smile. “Kit was nice, the movie was good… I guess I could see us being friends. He just didn’t seem attracted to me. He was kind of distracted the whole time, you know? Like something else was bothering him,” Livvy paused, collecting herself. “I just don’t know what,” She said softly. There was a silence between them for a few seconds, before Ty broke it.

“I should probably tell you this…” He began, not knowing if this was a good idea at all. Livvy gave him an expectant look, and Ty took a deep breath. “Kit’s my soulmate.”

“He’s your what?!” Livvy exclaimed. Her eyes widened and she straightened up. Ty noticed gloomily that her bracelet was the color of Kit’s eyes. 

“Soulmate,” Ty breathed. “He’s my soulmate, Livs. We accidentally brushed fingers yesterday and I saw the color blue,” Livvy was silent for a moment as she processed the information, but then she slowly sat up, her jean-clad legs returning to the floor.

“That makes so much sense,” Livvy said slowly. Ty blinked at her, puzzled. “That I explains why when I put my hand on his-”

“Livvy!” Ty exclaimed, cutting her off before she could continue. Livvy looked bemused, her eyes sparkling.

“Seriously though, I’m so happy for you! Ugh, you guys would be so cute together…” She trailed off, a small smile on her face. She started a little, as if she realized something, and punched Ty in the shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me?! Honestly Ty, if you had just told me I wouldn’t have gone out with him and we both wouldn’t have had to suffer,” Ty’s eyes were glued to the floor.

“Honestly, Livs? I don’t know. When I heard that you were going out with him, I was so upset I couldn’t think straight,” Ty’s eyes started to water again and he chuckled, wiping the tear with his fingertips. “I should have, though, I know.”

“Damn straight,” Livvy replied tersely, hugging Ty again, shorter this time. As Ty got up to leave, his heart felt a million times lighter. “Sleep well, Ty-Ty,” Ty smiled at the childhood nickname. “Night, Livs.”

  
  
  
  


As Ty got ready for school the next morning, he thought that he might pass out with nerves. Sure, he had Livvy, and she was great, but she wouldn’t be able to help him through everything. Julian drove them to school, along with Dru, who was a freshman. The twins were sophomores and Emma and Julian were seniors. Their older siblings, Mark and Helen, were off at college already. All of the teachers knew the Blackthorns, and Ty was always amused when they realized that they would have to deal with yet another Blackthorn. Not to mention the names- Tiberius, Livia, Drusilla, and Octavian? Ty pitied them. 

Ty was a little bit later to his science class than usual, and he saw with a start that Kit was already sat in his chair. He seemed to be in conversation with Cameron, but it was broken off as Kit caught sight of Ty. Ty walked over to his chair, sitting down somewhat stiffly. Kit was on his phone, and he scrolled a few times before sighing and putting it down. 

“Look, Ty, I’m sorry,” Kit turned towards Ty, begging him to meet his eye. Ty just nodded. 

“It’s okay. We’ll talk about it later,” Ty responded, meeting his eye for a fraction of a second. Kit smiled a little, leaning a little closer to Ty. 

“Ten bucks says he’s late,” Kit whispered.

“I’m not going to oppose you on that one,” Ty laughed, a sound that made Kit warm all the way down to his toes. The bell rang a few seconds later, and sure enough there was Mr. Zemke, bursting in late. At least this time, he seemed to have invested in a travel mug.

  
  
  
  


Ty walked out into the fresh air with a happy sigh, glad to finally be out of school for the day. Livvy made a sound of content next to him. They were just making their way over to the place where they normally met to go home, when Ty heard a voice behind him. 

“Ty!” Kit came speed-walking behind him, and Ty caught his breath as he saw Kit in the sunlight for the first time. Needless to say, the sun just made Kit even more radiant. “Want to have that talk?” Ty gave Livvy a look, and she nodded. 

“See you later,” She said with a knowing smirk. Ty and Kit started wandering off in the direction of the pond, wanting to go somewhere semi private. 

“Do you want to go over by the pond?” Ty asked. Kit nodded, and they set off. Kit’s strides were much longer than Ty’s and he slowed down to let Ty walk beside him. 

The pair sat down on the warm grass, the sunlight on their skin putting them in a good mood. 

“It’s very pretty over here,” Kit commented. He was sitting close enough to Ty to make it more of a personal conversation, but not too close to make Ty uncomfortable. Ty appreciated that.

“Yeah, I love it,” Ty agreed.

“Listen, I really shouldn’t have tried to push away the fact that you are my…” Kit trailed off, neither of them accustomed to the fact that they were soulmates yet. “Soulmate,” He finished. “You are my soulmate.”

“I understand why you did what you did,” Ty responded, eyes trained on the grass. “I didn’t like it… but I understood,” Kit nodded, scooting a little closer to Ty. He was sitting cross-legged, picking out little pieces of grass and tying them together. Ty hardly noticed. 

“What’s next?” Kit asked, the question that had been reverberating in Ty’s mind since he had gotten over the initial shock. Ty just shook his head. “Grey is a beautiful color, by the way. I had always felt overwhelmed by all of the bright colors around me, but grey is so calming,” Ty felt himself blushing at Kit’s unexpected words. “I see it everywhere now, but the only true grey is in your eyes, which I hardly ever see,” Kit reached out, using his fingertip to gently turn Ty’s face towards his. Ty uncertainly looked into Kit’s eyes, but the happy, open expression that he found there was worth his anxiety. Kit dropped his hand after a moment, and Ty turned away, his face red. 

The boys sat on the grass for at least an hour after that, chatting about books, movies, and their other interests. Kit was a really cool person, Ty decided. At one point Ty had accidentally brushed Kit’s hand, but before he could pull it away, Kit grabbed his hand. They stayed like that for minutes, a peaceful smile on both of their faces. They walked to Ty’s house after that, Kit insisting that his house wasn’t too far away. They paused in front of Ty’s house in a shaded area, and Ty looked up at the cloudless sky.

“It’s beautiful,” He murmured. Kit glanced upwards, making a sound of agreement. “I can’t believe that I lived for so long without it.”

“You know what else is beautiful?” Kit stepped forward, and Ty sucked in a breath. He had always had issues with people getting too close to him, but he was finding that it was easier with Kit. “Your face,” Ty grinned, trying not to laugh at the cheesiness of Kit’s statement. “I’m serious!” He exclaimed. Ty’s smile fell as he realized that Kit’s eyes were focused on his lips, and he was slowly leaning in. “Can I kiss you?” Kit whispered. Ty nodded, looking down at Kit’s lips and squeezing his eyes shut as the gap between them was closed. 

The kiss was light, Kit being careful not to alarm Ty or do anything that would make him anxious. Kit felt like he was in heaven, even with their lips barely touching. He could hardly imagine what anything more would feel like. Ty was more or less feeling the same, his senses on overload as he tried to take in everything. All he knew was that it felt more right than anything else he had ever done. Ty was the one to break the kiss. 

“Wow,” Kit mumbled, their foreheads touching. 

“Yeah,” Ty replied, not wanting Kit to have any doubt in his mind that Ty felt the same way. “Feel free to do that anytime.”

Kit laughed, and placed a kiss on the top of Ty’s head. Ty’s stomach fluttered at the realization that he barely had to stand up on his tiptoes to do that. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kit said in parting, before turning and walking down the sidewalk. 

Ty watched him walk away, doing his best not to burst into excited giggles. Once Kit was out of sight, Ty raced up the path to his house. He threw open the door, passing a confused Drusilla and taking the stairs two at a time. Once he was inside his room, he flopped down on his bed and buried his face in a pillow. Behind his closed eyes, he could imagine his future with Kit vividly. It was all off to a great start. 


End file.
